Preveza, Greece - Yacht Culture & Jazz

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We arrived in Preveza May 31. Preveza is both a city and a region—we had previously been exploring the Peloponnese region—so it marks a shift in geography and atmosphere. The city is a hub for yacht owners, who gather here en masse, giving it a distinctive nautical buzz. It’s a summer spot, nearby hamlets feature quiet summer homes. We had coffee with a Greek couple who live in Preveza year round and described it as shut up, vacant, moist and rainy. But this time of year it features lively play, yachts, and we were fortunate enough to land on a jazz festival. 



By happy accident, we stumbled upon Preveza’s annual jazz festival—a wonderful surprise, especially since Rob and I had been feeling musically starved. In fact, we’ve been scratching our heads wondering why live music feels so scarce and different here. Despite searching for live music venues, we’ve found surprisingly few. More often, performers appear in tourist-heavy squares and promenades, seemingly there more for ambience than for artistic expression.

In Kalamata, the same two posters advertising live shows were plastered everywhere—but those were the only shows being promoted. In contrast, as we passed through Patras on our way to Preveza, we noticed a wealth of recording studios and music venues. We chalk that up to Patras’s larger size and the fact that it’s not a tourist destination in the same way—it’s a working city, where many locals are employed in the agricultural belt just to the south, a region known for its terraced landscapes and remnants of Nabataean floodwater farming.




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